Politics, Legal & Regulation

October 26, 2022 @ 6:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

President Joe Biden issued a statement today declaring “junk fees” wrong and illegal. In what may be an electioneering move, the President declared: “… my administration is also making clear: Surprise overdraft fees are illegal.  Listen to how those fees work.  And some of —… Read More

October 26, 2022 @ 3:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

Representatives Patrick McHenry and Bill Huizenga have sent a letter to Representative Maxine Waters asking the Chair of the House Financial Services Committee to convene a hearing in November with SEC Chair Gary Gensler. McHenry is the Ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee… Read More

October 26, 2022 @ 8:17 am By JD Alois  |  

The Crypto Council for Innovation has distributed information gleaned from a survey that indicates US voters are supportive of digital assets, with 13% stating they hold crypto. The national survey polled 1,200 likely voters and was conducted for the Crypto Council by a bipartisan team… Read More

October 25, 2022 @ 10:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, during Money20/20, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra commented on the concept of Open Banking (or Open Finance) alongside his perspective on the CFPBs “new approach to regulation.” Chopra stated: “This week, the CFPB will launch the process to activate a dormant authority under Section… Read More

October 25, 2022 @ 11:45 am By JD Alois  |  

Multiple Democrat elected officials are slamming public financial agency leaders in a public letter criticizing the “revolving door” of public officials going over to crypto firms. The letter is signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Rashida Tlaib,… Read More

October 25, 2022 @ 10:56 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is commencing a review of “Big Tech” providing financial services. The FCA will be reviewing firms like Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and others that have emerged as top financial services providers in sectors like digital wallets and payments. The… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 3:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

As was reported earlier today, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has been selected to become the new Prime Minister, stepping in after Liz Truss was forced out following a rough couple of weeks. Several more comments have filtered in from Fintechs following the… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 10:43 am By JD Alois  |  

There has been a lot of initial excitement surrounding the possibility of a digital dollar – a government-issued, central bank digital currency (CBDC).  The enthusiasm is primarily due to certain expectations that a CBDC will be frictionless, a low-cost currency that will help underbanked segments… Read More

October 24, 2022 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

UK markets are showing a sign of relief following the news that former PM Boris Johnson has decided to pass on another go as the occupant of Number 10 Downing Street, and Penny Mordaunt tweeted she would stand down from the race, thus clearing the… Read More

October 22, 2022 @ 4:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

Senator Bill Hagerty’s Digital Asset Clarity Act of 2022 aims to determine when a digital asset is a security and when it may be something else. As was reported earlier this month, the legislation strives to provide digital asset exchanges with a safe harbor from… Read More

October 21, 2022 @ 11:29 am By JD Alois  |  

As was previously reported, the compliance date for ECSPR, or European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation, has been extended from November 2022 to November 2023 for all EU member states. This means that platforms intending to offer securities crowdfunding across the EU now have another year… Read More

October 21, 2022 @ 9:37 am By JD Alois  |  

This week, the US Department of Justice sentenced two individuals for a plot to steal crypto in a SIM Swap scam. SIM Swaps became a hot fraud ploy several years back as a way to steal digital assets – easily moved once stolen. Perps would… Read More

October 20, 2022 @ 9:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Virtual currency trading company CrossTower continues to pursue a potential deal to acquire the assets of the once-leading and now-bankrupt Voyager Digital Ltd. out of bankruptcy, a lawyer for CrossTower noted at a court hearing on Wednesday (October 19, 2022). John Ashmead, CrossTower’s lawyer, a… Read More

October 20, 2022 @ 10:59 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Office of Inspector General (OIG), has issued a report on the management of the SEC that criticizes multiple aspects of the Commission’s operations. Aiming to promote integrity and efficiency, the OIG is an independent office within the SEC that… Read More

October 20, 2022 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) has issued a statement hammering the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its activity that will have “a chilling effect on America’s startup ecosystem.” This past week, the CMA claimed that the acquisition by Facebook (Meta)… Read More

October 19, 2022 @ 2:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

The concept of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), privately issued stablecoins, and digital currency, in general, has swirled together for some time now. Some policymakers and pundits believe that for the dollar to continue to reign as the world’s default currency, it must move… Read More

October 19, 2022 @ 1:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

European Commission Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability, and Capital Markets Union Mairead McGuinness, says the United States needs to pick up the pace and create bespoke rules for digital assets or crypto assets. The European Union is moving forward with its Markets in Crypto… Read More

October 19, 2022 @ 10:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) was slammed for its authoritarian Acceptable Use Policy that was slotted to take effect next month. PayPal decided that it could charge users $2500 – per infraction – if they said or commented on anything PayPal did not concur. PayPal’s… Read More

October 18, 2022 @ 12:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Regulators in Texas are reportedly probing cryptocurrency platform FTX and company CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. The state securities regulator is looking into whether FTX has offered unregistered securities to Texas residents, which could potentially be a violation of state law. According to reports, Texas’ securities regulator… Read More

October 18, 2022 @ 10:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Republicans on the House Committee on Financial Services have sent a letter to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler criticizing his management of the securities regulator, specifically pointing to problems with proposed rules and receiving comments from the public. Earlier this month, the SEC announced that it… Read More